The need for simultaneously transporting and providing necessary medical treatment to patients in emergency conditions is well known. Such need can be met with a self-contained transportable life support system which integrates various medical and utility devices into a stretcher upon which a patient is placed.
An example of such system is described in the related patent application Ser. No. 08/667,693 filed on Jun. 21, 1996, entitled SELF-CONTAINED TRANSPORTABLE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM.
In order to evacuate a patient from the battlefield to a remote hospital, a number of different military vehicles are commonly used. For example, a HumVee may be used to transport the patient to a helipad, where the patient is subsequently transported via a UH-60 Blackhawk or UH-1 Huey helicopter to an airfield. From the airfield, the patient is then transported typically via a C-130 or C-141 fixed wing aircraft to an airport near the remote hospital. Thus, it is desirable that such self-contained transportable life support system can draw electrical power from various external power sources, such as those which exist in these transport vehicles. It is desirable that the power connection to any external power source is designed to be foolproof, in order to prevent human error. It is also desirable that such system can be powered by a rechargeable internal power source when no external power source is available.
It is imperative that the switching from one type of power source to another does not interrupt the electrical power being delivered to the load of medical and utility devices of the life support system, so that the ongoing medical care is not impeded.
In addition, it is desirable that any failure of one medical or utility device in such life support system will not interfere with the operation of the remaining functioning devices.
The present invention discloses an electrical power system, to be used in a self-contained transportable life support system, which allows such life support system to possess the desired features discussed above.